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Jerry Seinfeld is speaking out about Dave Chappelle‘s opening monologue on Saturday Night Live.
The 68-year-old comedian — who is Jewish — addressed Chappelle’s comedy routine which centered around Kanye West‘s recent antisemitic comments.
“I did think the comedy was well-executed,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “But I think the subject matter calls for a conversation that I don’t think I’d want to have in this venue.”
The Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee star reiterated his point when asked if the monologue made him “uncomfortable.”
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“It provokes a conversation which hopefully is productive,” he added.
Seinfeld also noted that he doesn’t consider Chapelle, 49, to be a dear friend, saying, “I don’t have a close relationship with him. We’re friends and it’s not a close relationship.”
On Saturday, Chappelle opened SNL by unfolding a paper note and declaring, “I denounce antisemitism in all its forms. And I stand with my friends in the Jewish community. And that, Kanye, is how you buy yourself some time.”
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Chappelle then noted that he will often contact West, 45, when the rapper finds himself surrounded by controversy, though this time he opted not to. Last month, West shared in now-deleted social media posts that he wanted to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” before going on a string of podcast and television appearances where he continued to share antisemitic rhetoric.
Chappelle said that there are “two words in the English language that you should never say together in sequence: ‘The’ and ‘Jews.'”
“I’ve been to Hollywood and — no one get mad at me — I’m just telling you what I saw,” he said. “It’s a lot of Jews. Like a lot. But that doesn’t mean anything! You know what I mean? Because there are a lot of Black people in Ferguson, Missouri, it doesn’t mean we run the place.”
Chappelle also said that a “delusion that Jews run show business” is “not a crazy thing to think,” but “it’s a crazy thing to say out loud.”
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“It shouldn’t be this scary to talk about anything,” Chappelle said. “It’s making my job incredibly difficult. And to be honest with you, I’m sick of talking to a crowd like this. I love you to death and I thank you for your support. And I hope they don’t take anything away from me… whoever they are.”
The monologue has since been criticized for perpetuating antisemitism by the national director of the Anti-Defamation League.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Jewish civil rights organization, shared his thoughts about the monologue via social media on Sunday.
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“We shouldn’t expect @DaveChappelle to serve as society’s moral compass, but disturbing to see @nbcsnl not just normalize but popularize #antisemitism,” he wrote. “Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?”
Others joined in to express concern and share their analysis of Chappelle’s monologue. Influencer Rabbi Josh Yuter wrote that “the key point” of the monologue was that “there are double standards regarding who can say what about whom.”
